Basilica di Santa Giulia
Encyclopedia
The Basilica di Santa Giulia is a medieval former church in Bonate Sotto
, Lombardy
, northern Italy
. Built in the early 12th century, only its apse
area remain today in a short plain outside the town.
queen Theodelinda
. It is mentioned in a letter from 1129 by Pope Honorius II
as "... the church in Lesina which has not been consecrated yet". An abbey had its centre here, being abandoned together with the church around the 14th century.
s, of which only the last one preceding the apse area survives. The area without the ceiling is now home to a cemetery. The central apse was frescoed in 1795 by the Swiss painters Baldassarre and Vincenzo Angelo Orelli.
Notable are the sculpted capitals, with geometrical, animal or human figures, while the residual exterior decoration include small columns and Lombard band
s.
Bonate Sotto
Bonate Sotto is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 40 km northeast of Milan and about 9 km southwest of Bergamo in the Isola bergamasca....
, Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Built in the early 12th century, only its apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
area remain today in a short plain outside the town.
History
According to local tradition, it would have been founded by St. Julia of Corsica herself, or by the LombardLombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
queen Theodelinda
Theodelinda
Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards, was the daughter of duke Garibald I of Bavaria.She was married first in 588 to Authari, king of the Lombards, son of king Cleph. Authari died in 590. Theodelinda was allowed to pick Agilulf as her next husband and Authari's successor in 591...
. It is mentioned in a letter from 1129 by Pope Honorius II
Pope Honorius II
Pope Honorius II , born Lamberto Scannabecchi, was pope from December 21, 1124, to February 13, 1130. Although from a humble background, his obvious intellect and outstanding abilities saw him promoted through the ecclesiastical hierarchy...
as "... the church in Lesina which has not been consecrated yet". An abbey had its centre here, being abandoned together with the church around the 14th century.
Overview
The church had a basilica plan, with a nave and two aisles with three apses; the interior was divided into five bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
s, of which only the last one preceding the apse area survives. The area without the ceiling is now home to a cemetery. The central apse was frescoed in 1795 by the Swiss painters Baldassarre and Vincenzo Angelo Orelli.
Notable are the sculpted capitals, with geometrical, animal or human figures, while the residual exterior decoration include small columns and Lombard band
Lombard band
A Lombard band is a decorative blind arcade, usually exterior, often used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of architecture.Lombard bands are believed to have been first used during the First Romanesque Period of the early 11th Century. At that time, they were the most common architectural...
s.